By Phil Cooke, Ph.D. Recently, we’ve seen numerous high-profile crisis situations in both churches and ministries with a pastor or other senior leader accused of sexual immorality or abuse. And in most cases, the initial response was to defend the leader at all costs. In at least one case, a woman who had accused a […]
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As churches grapple with the growing influence of technology on young people, many leaders are asking whether it’s time to limit or even ban cell phone use during youth events. To help guide this conversation, we turned to Sharon Orr, director of Risk Control at Church Mutual Insurance, whose expertise in youth safety and policy development […]
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By Jerry Dilk Whether your church is small and intimate or serves thousands, there’s a lot that goes into managing a place of worship. One thing that is often overlooked — especially by those with smaller congregations — is document protection. Securing your documents is pivotal because it protects financial records, employee information, and ensures […]
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As summer ends and fall begins, we move from a season of growth to one of harvest. A good gardener knows that fruit appears only when the right conditions for growth have been nurtured. Jesus often used agricultural metaphors, including the parable of the soils (Mark 4, Matthew 13, and Luke 8). While the parable […]
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By Rev. Dr. William H. Foster, Jr. When you hear the word “trustee,” you might picture a quiet figure seated at the end of a long table, nodding thoughtfully during budget reviews. But in reality, a good church trustee does more than create and interpret financial spreadsheets — they are stewards of mission and […]
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By Doug Gulleson The focus of every church is serving God, serving others, and encouraging others to serve in their own part. For many churches, the desire to serve extends to all parts of the globe as members embark on missions and provide humanitarian aid to spread the word of God and serve those in […]
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MAY 1, 2025 — On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two consolidated cases from Oklahoma which starkly present the clash between the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and its Establishment Clause. The first Clause says that the government can’t penalize or interfere with the free exercise of religion; the second says that […]
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As early as this summer, two Supreme Court rulings could effectively eviscerate The Establishment Clause, which forbids governments from supporting religion or favoring one religion over another, or religion over non-religion — a potentially monumental pivot point for church schools. Church Executive has profiled several Supreme Court cases during the last few years where church […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh With a combined 25 years of experience working with Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) and its church clients, Risk Management Vice President Andrew Shockey and Underwriting Human Services Product Manager Michael Nester know background checks. First and foremost, they know that not enough houses of worship are conducting them — and why. […]
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By Denise Craig, CAE, CCA Back in April 2024, the US Department of Labor published a rule requiring all employers (including churches) to increase the minimum salary threshold for exempt workers in both July 2024 and January 2025, with regularly scheduled increases after that. However, in mid-November 2024, after the first increase had occurred and […]
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